Chicago’s struggles continued on Sunday with a humiliating 100-80 loss to Boston. The Bulls now trail the eighth-seeded Bucks by 1.5 games as they are now stuck on a five-game losing rut. The Bulls’ performance against the Celtics was horrific to say the least with Chicago putting up just nine points in the opening quarter. They missed their first 12 attempts and 19 of their first 22 shots.
The numbers during this losing skid are quite alarming for head coach Fred Hoiberg. The Bulls are averaging just 90.2 points over their last five games with their average margin of defeat standing at 14.4 points. They’re shooting just 40.7 percent from the field during this stretch and only 30.7 percent from 3-point range. To make matters worse for the Bulls, they’re also committing an average of 16.8 turnovers during this span.
For the Bulls to return to winning ways tonight, they will need star duo Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade to step up their play against Charlotte. Butler and Wade struggled mightily in that loss to Boston, combining for just 13 points on a woeful 6-of-22 shooting from the field. Butler, however, has had some success recently against the Hornets, exploding for 52 points in Chicago’s 118-111 victory on January 2.
The Bulls are 3-7 SU and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 road games.
The Charlotte Hornets crashing back to earth on Saturday as they absorbed a gut-wrenching 125-122 overtime loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Hornets had difficulty stopping birthday boy Anthony Davis who recorded a game-high 46 points and 21 rebounds. With the defeat, the Hornets have now lost two of their last three outings. They’re now 3.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Hornets will look to get their season back on track when they face the Chicago Bulls later tonight. For Charlotte to grab the much-needed victory, it needs to improve on its play on the defensive end. In their last two losses, opponents have scored an average of 116.5 points. The Pels took advantage of Charlotte’s defensive frailties, shooting at a high 50.5 percent clip on Saturday. Another thing that’s concerning head coach Steve Clifford at the moment is his team’s alarming home form. The Hornets have lost seven of their last 10 games at Spectrum Center.
With regards to their offense, the Hornets are expected to ride the hot hand of Marvin Williams. The 11-year veteran scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed 10 boards in the loss to New Orleans. Williams has had four double-doubles in the past five games, and now has seven for the season. He’s averaging 11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this campaign. Also expected to contribute are Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum. They each scored 24 points in the loss to the Pelicans.
Writer’s Prediction
Charlotte (-7) not only wins but also covers the spread against Chicago.
